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HISTORY OF THE HARPRiver Forest Women’s Club Hears Music and Story of Oldest Instrument by Helen Stone TorgersonThe meeting of the River Forest Women's club on Tuesday was devoted mostly to the harp as played by Miss Helena Stone Torgerson. Mrs, Walter Gerts represented the violin, which gave a pleasing variety- to the program, but as the violin has another meeting later in the year, nothin® was told of its•* v._-history.Besides being a most artistic player Miss Torgersoi: is a ready speaker, feel-ing entirely at home with her subjectiand being perfectly familiar with its history. The harp and the reed pipe are the oldest instruments which we know about. The Egyptians probablyplayed the harp in 4000 B. CL and at thetime of Raineses I IT they painted pictures on their tombs of men playing a harp much like ours in appearance, with fewer strings and standing about a foot higher. Its part in Jewish history is more familiar to us.We have seen the harp as the emblem on the Irish flag, but perhaps did not kne w how it got there. Miss Torgerson explained that the Druids took the harp with them when they went to Ireland.7and instituted its use in their religiousceremonies. It was also used in England and Wales by the bards. Thesewere all much smaller than our harps,and were held often in the lap.The harp’s development was slow, but in the eighteenth century men set outseriously to improve the old instrument.The great difficulty was to devise somemechanical scheme bv which all kevs could be played. They had found that by holding the string with one hand and plucking it with the other the pitch was raised a half tone, but this necessitated using both hands. After workingand improving for many years the prese-ent idea was evolved—that of many pedals to raise the pitch of the strings. These pedals act thru rods in the pillar on the strings at the rop. The harpistcan now play in any key.Improvements have been made recently by Lyon HeaSy until the harp is practically perfect. One change of late years has been to widen the sounding board, giving greater resonance.This historical sketch gained in interest by Miss Torgerson’s stopping to illustrate her points by her own instrument.She also gave an example of the simple airs written for the harp in very early times, and one of the ornate compositions written at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the possibilities of the harp had just been made so much greater. Later she played a suite which she called “In a Garden,” containing two familiar bits by Mac-Dowell, written for piano, and two of her own compositions which she wastoo modest to acknowledge. “The Butterfly” was very original, and brought out the manv varieties of tone of which the harp is capable.Mrs. Certs played with Miss Torger-I son in two of Miss Torgerson's compositions, an intermezzo and a mazurka, the harp accompanying the violin instead of a piano. Mrs. Gerts is toe well known here for us to be surprised at the size, clearness and beauty of her tone.Later the two artists played a nocturne of Chopin’s, and Sarasate’s “Spanish Dance.” Both were very generous with their encores.At the next meeting John Klesert, of pur own bank, will speak on ‘‘Investment of Funds” and ‘‘Industrial Securities.” It will be at the Presbyterian church. C,
Newspaper Details
Oak Park Oak Leaves
Oak Park, Illinois, US
Sat, Nov 22, 1913
Page 15
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 08 Dec 2019
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